Musical card game



June 22 1926. 1,589,878-

H. F. GILBERT MUSICAL CARD GAME Filed-August 21, 1924 Patented June 22, 1926.

UNITED smrss 1,589,878 PATENT oE-FicE.

HENRY GILBERT, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MUSICAL CARD GAME.

Application filedAugust 21, 1924. Serial No. 733,300.

- number to make-up'a deck of convenient size, e. g., about sixty cards, and provide diiferent musical measures extended inward from certain or .all of the. edges of the cards with an alined arrangement whereby selected cards n'iay be arrangedin an over-lapping series to make a continuous musical period that maybeset up in different ways at will accordingto the arrangement of the cards. In carrying out my invention I pref erably produce measures indifferent times vcntending'in from'the respective edges of the several cards so that musical periods -written in such-different times may be set up at will.

Since-a musical period usually embraces eightmeasures, the cardsare designed so as -tobearrangedin a corresponding overlap;-

ping series, eight in number, to make up a complete period. Such musical period of eightmeasures embodies two phrases of four measures each, the first of which is called the antecedent and the second the consequent phrase. The antecedent phrase usually starts the melody on one of the notes of the chords of the tonic of the key in which it is written, and ends upon the fourth measure with a pause or punctuation mark or so-called semicadence. The consequent phrase follows, usually beginning on the same heat with which the antecedent began, and ending with a perfect cadence upon an accented beat of the final or eighth measure with the tonic note or a note of the chord thereof thus acting as a conclusion of the tune or melody and with a character of finality about it which would be out of place in any of the other measures of the melody. It will, therefore. be understood that the fourth and eighth measures of the period must be specially constituted with reference to the foregoing requirements, and I therefore produce a part of the cards, e. g,

four (#4).

the cards e.

"about twelve of the. sixty with measures especially adaptediforserving as the fourth measure of the period and marked with a distinguishing character. e. g. the number I also produce .a number of about eight of the sixtywith \HIGHSHIQS speciallyadapted for the end of the consequent phrase,i.;e., to complete the melody and mark theseralso with a dis tin-guisliing character e. g. the number, eight The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will. more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the laccompanying drawings, and the distinctive features of novelty will be-pointed Out in the. appended claims.

Referring to. the drawings Fig.1 is a plan View showing-a series of eight cards embodying my invention arranged in an overlapping,sequenceto produce a selected musical period.

Fig. 2. is. a .planoview of one vofthe cards especially designed V for o the fourth; measure .or end of the antecedent phrase; and

Fig. is a plan view of one of the cards for the first and: intermediate measure, or any one except the fourtlrandeighth.

:The cardslO, ofwvhich, there arepreferably sixty in number,- thoughthere'may be inore oriless, as des red within the contemmusical lnward plation of theinvention, hear each measures 11, 12,13,14 extending fromthe respective edges thereof. These measures are preferably written in difi erent times, e. g, the measure 11 extending; inward from one edge being illustratively shown as in two-four time, the measure 12 from another edge in three-four (3 4) time, the measure 13 from another edge in four-four (Ar/4:) time and the measure 142 from the fourth edge in six-eight (6/8) time. Certain of the cards have these measures especially arranged to constitute the end of the antecedent phrase or fourth measure of the period and these mav be marked with the character t seen iu Fig. 2, while others of the cards which are especially designed to constitute the end of the consequent phrase and conclusion of the period may be marked with the dist-inctive number eight (#8) as seen at the right of 1. In practising the game, selected cards are laid in over-lapping relation seen in Fig. 1 so as to expose the desired melody measure extending in from one edge thereof and concealing the other measure on the card by the over-lapping of the next card as indicated at 15, and thus exhibiting a continuous sequence of alined measures as indicated at 16. In thus setting up the musical period the melody may be varied at will by selecting different sequences of cards, care being only taken to insure that one of the cards marked 4- shall be fourth in the series, and one of the cards marked 8 shall be eighth or last in the series. I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential at tributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A musical card game, comprising a deck of cards each having a musical measure extending inward from certain or all of the edges thereof and adapted to be placed in over-lapping relation to constitute a musical sentence or period, certain of said cards being distinctively marked to denote them for the fourth measure of the period, and others of said cards being distinctively marked to denote them for the eighth measure of the period.

2. A musical card game, comprising a deck of cards each bearing musical measures extending inward from the edges thereof, said cards adapted to be selectively arranged in over-lapping relation to constitute a complete musical period or sentence.

3. A musical card game, comprising a deck of, cards each bearing a single musical measure extending inward from each of the respective edges thereof and adapted to be placed in juxtaposition so that the series of measures constituted by consecutive cards constitute a complete musical period or sentence, certain of said cards having distinctive markings to denote them for the fourth measure of the period, and others of said cards having distinctive markings to denote them for the eighth measure of the period.

4. A musical card game comprising a deck of cards each bearing musical measures ex tending inward from edges thereof, said cards adapted to be interchangeably arranged in over-lapping relation to consti tute a complete musical period or sentence, certain of said cards having distinctive markings to denote them for the fourth measure of the period, and others of said cards having distinctive markings to de note them for the eighth measure of the period.

5. A musical card game comprising a d ck of cards each bearing musical measures extending inward from the edges thereof, said cards adapted to be interchangeably arranged in over-lapping relation to constitute a musical period or sentence, certain of said cards having distinctive markings to denote a pause in the melodic sentence.

6. A musical card. game comprising a deck of cards each bearing a musical frag.- ment or melodic particle extending inward from the respective edge portions thereof, said cards adapted to be interchangeably arranged in overlapping relation to constitute a musical period or sentence.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HENRY F. GILBERT. 

